PRESS RELEASE
26 May 2005: Isle of Man shipping fleet recognised as number 2 in the world for quality
Last week the Paris Memorandum1 published its 2005 Black, Grey and White lists. This year the Isle of Man has moved up to second place on the prestigious White List from last year’s position of third.
These lists are published every year and reflect the performance of flag states in terms of the numbers of ships detained in port for faults in the Paris MOU area against the number of ships visiting. The lists cover 79 flags divided into three categories: a Black List for the worst performing flags, a Grey List for those in the middle and a White List of the best performing flags.
In 2005 there are 31 flags listed on the “White List”. Top of the list is Germany and in second place is the Isle of Man, ahead of the UK in third and the USA in fourth.
Last year the Isle of Man was in 3rd place while the UK was in first. In 2003 the Isle of Man was fourth behind the UK, Sweden and Finland, while in 2001 we were in 12th place. These results are the outcome of an independent external assessment based on the ships’ performance in all the thousands of Paris MOU ports and against hundreds of inspections. As an assessment of the real quality and performance of the Isle of Man fleet, this is the best comparative measure available.
The Island’s steady move up the table reflects the hard work invested by both the Island’s shipping community and the Marine Administration in ensuring that only good owners and good ships are registered here and that the standards in Manx ships are continuously maintained and improved.
Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Alex Downie said:
“I am delighted to see the Isle of Man so high on the White List this year. Last year’s move up to third place was very welcome but this year’s improvement to second in spite of all the additional demands of the new security regime is exceptional. This is the industry’s global benchmark for excellence, so this result shows the hard work and excellent relationship between the Marine Administration team and the Island’s shipping managers is yielding real value for all. Also, this result further cements the Island’s reputation as one of the world’s premier centres for international shipping. I would like to record my thanks to the Marine Administration team and everyone involved in the Manx shipping sector for this marvellous result.”
The Director of the IOM Marine Administration, Captain Desmond Howell said:
“This result is a direct reflection on the hard work and dedication of the Marine Administration’s staff in supporting owners, detecting and rectifying early problems and encouraging the best of standards. It also owes much to the Isle of Man shipping community in answer to their work in operating ships to the highest possible standards.”
Being high on the White List means that Manx ships are less troubled by port state control inspections in Paris MOU ports than ships on the Grey or Black Lists and this means they are able to carry on their business as freely as possible. A position on the While List also enhances the reputation of the Isle of Man as a high quality flag and this in turn encourages more quality operators to place their ships on the Isle of Man flag. At the same time port operators and others all over the world see the Island’s position on the list and form a view of the Island in general as a place of high standards and abilities helping to build the overall image of the Island.
For further details contact: Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Alex Downie, tel 682394, email alex.downie@gov.im or the Director of the IOM Marine Administration, Captain Desmond Howell, tel 688500, email desmond.howell@gov.im.
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1 The Paris memorandum refers to the grouping of European States plus others such as the Russian Federation and the Eastern Seaboard of Canada which works collectively through a secretariat in France to co-ordinate the inspection of visiting ships and collate the inspection data. The Organisation can be seen at http://www.parismou.org.
